PEFC says it is the first global forest certification system to consider social requirements for chain of custody certification.
PEFC International is inviting all stakeholders to comment on the draft social, health and safety requirements for chain of custody certification by July 23.
The proposal to expand the scope of chain of custody certification to include social, health and safety requirements was one of the outcomes of PEFC’s 2009 global public consultation on the enquiry draft of the revised chain of custody standard.
Requirements would oblige PEFC-certified organisations to demonstrate that they ensure workers’ freedom of associations and rights for collective bargaining; prohibit use of forced labour, ensure minimum workers’ age, ensure equal employment and occupational health and safety.
“Social issues have long been an integral part of forest certification, which verifies that forest management satisfies the environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainable development,” said PEFC secretary-general Ben Gunneberg.
“Yet chain of custody certification has so far been limited to tracking certified material through the production process, from the forest to the consumer.”
• The UK government has recently added social criteria to its public timber procurement policy.
